Vol. 7, No. 1
A benefit of a new year is the anticipation and a feeling of newness. A clean slate, fresh beginnings, the simple excitement of brand-new planners and calendars!
All of these things can feel inspiring and possibly, overwhelming. Remember that lasting change is usually created by taking slow and steady steps toward your goals.
Whether your commitment is to be more organized, eat more nutritious foods, get more exercise, or change an unhealthy habit, receiving support from others in your community can be helpful. Find a group to walk with, start a supper club, attend meetings to support recovery, have conversations with your family, or set a deadline (and post it online) about finally cleaning out the garage to get the encouragement and accountability that many of us thrive on.
If the New Year feels like - “bleh, more of the same!”- reach out for support. Life feels hard some times and changing the calendar doesn’t change that. What we really want is to live our best lives and we don't need to wait until we finally get organized, eat better, exercise more, or the pandemic to end! Think about the things that bring you joy (music, movies, fresh air, the beach, cooking, roller skating, crafting, fresh flowers, etc.) and try to add more of those to your life. We all deserve to live a life with joy.
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The Importance of Regular Vacuuming
Each person has their own idea of what “clean” means. It’s completely okay to prefer your home neat and tidy, have your own style of organized chaos, or to have a loving mess that you just don’t have time to get to. The Thurston County Healthy Homes Program is here to help you make informed choices about how you maintain a healthy home.
Regular vacuuming is an important part of maintaining a healthy home environment.
Here are some frequently asked questions about vacuuming:
How does regular vacuuming help keep your home healthier?
Regular vacuuming helps reduce our exposures to harmful chemicals, heavy metals and allergens. The dust in our homes is made up of super tiny particles that came from the many natural and built parts of our environment. Dust includes particles of dirt/soil, hair, dander, fur, insect parts, pesticides, tires, brake pads, lead and other heavy metals, gasoline, plastic, flame retardant chemicals and other harmful chemicals. Household dust is one of the main ways we’re exposed to toxic chemicals so frequent vacuuming reduces those exposures.
How often should I vacuum?
It’s recommended to vacuum your home at least once a week. If you have young children who spend a lot of time on or near the ground, it can be helpful to vacuum more often. If your living situation has a lot of sources of dust like furry, fuzzy pets or you live near a dirt road, you may want to vacuum more than once a week.
Where should I vacuum?
Vacuum all the floors in your home, including hard surface floors. There’s a common misconception that vacuums are only meant for carpet. Most vacuums available now are safe to use on hard surface floors. Check your vacuum for different settings that suit your floors. Some vacuums have a beater bar or beater brush for carpets and rugs and it will lift for vacuuming hard surfaces, like hard wood floors. For thorough vacuuming, you can flip over area rugs and vacuum the bottom side. If you have a vacuum with a hose and tools, you can vacuum furniture and some attachments work great for vacuuming around windows, blinds and more.
What kind of vacuum is best?
The most important feature to prioritize in a vacuum is a HEPA filter. The filter helps maintain good indoor air quality. Check out the Dig Deeper section for more about HEPA filters and indoor air quality. Whether you choose a vacuum with a bag or a container, be sure to empty the debris into a trash bag outside so you don’t get dust back into your home.
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Go Electric this Year
Electric mowers and other yard-care tools have come a long way in the last ten years. If you’re ready to stop breathing in gas fumes, don’t want to drain and dispose of gas and oil to store tools for the winter, want to cut down on fossil fuels, and desire a much more quiet outdoor experience, invest in battery-powered tools!
Benefits of Electric Tools:
- They are lighter than their gas counterparts – easier to maneuver.
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No more struggle to get started! Easy on/off buttons.
- Easy storage! They often fold up and hang on the wall of a shed or garage between uses.
- Reduced maintenance! Without spark plugs and oil, there are far fewer things to go wrong. Sharpen the blade annually just like with a gas mower and you’re set.
- One of the main reasons lawns are not great for the environment is because of the smog produced from gas-powered lawn mowers. If you’ve already reduced your use of weed killers, and figured out just the right amount of slow-release nutrients to keep your lawn in shape, make the switch to electric for an actual “green” lawn!
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So quiet! Mow as early or late as you desire and keep the peace in the neighborhood.
It’s possible to find battery-powered leaf blowers, weed whackers, and even trimming saws. The upfront purchase costs may be a bit more, but the overall maintenance costs are much lower.
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Small Plants for Small Places
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – even if you don’t have much of a yard or really, any yard, you can grow a few tasty and beautiful plants. The thing about growing things is they can make you feel good! So, whether it’s a few savory herbs in a container, a potted blueberry bush, or a hanging basket of flowering plants this summer, you can grow something, no matter the size of your space.
Lovely winter plants include ornamental kales and cabbages – so pretty in a pot or in the ground. Bring home a blueberry plant and watch as the leaves begin to sprout in early-spring. Plant it this spring or keep it in a large pot all year.
Heather blooms in the winter and the tiny flowers smell amazing. Great in a pot right by your main entrance so that you smell them when you come and go. Heathers don’t need much light and won’t take up much space.
Herbs are great for small areas. They can be trimmed back to stay compact and tend to thrive in many conditions. Easy plants to get you started: rosemary, sage, summer savory, oregano and thyme. These are perennials and will last as long as you water them and keep them trimmed back. Basil, parsley and cilantro are more delicate and will need to be re-planted, annually. Just keep them pinched back to keep them small and compact. Throw those pruned leaves in whatever is for dinner! Fill a pot with lemon balm, lavender and tulsi and dry the flowers for tea. Herbs grow well in a window sill or sunny spot indoors and can transiiton to a porch, patio or deck in April.
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Q: I know exercise is important for my mental and physical health but how am I supposed to get enough when it’s so wet and cold?
A: The trick is to try to move your body for at least 30 minutes, five days a week or 150 minutes per week. You could bundle up in rain gear and try to fit in a walk whenever you can. Maybe that’s on your lunch break, before you get started with your work day, when you go out to get the mail or take the dog out. It doesn’t need to be strenuous, just active. If you can’t get outside during the short hours of light or you haven’t invested in head-to-toe rain gear, a 15-minute dance party can increase your heart rate and lift your spirits. Think about activities you liked as a kid – jumping rope and wrestling with the dog are exercise and anything that gives you a big belly laugh will help your mental health.
The 30 minutes of activity doesn’t have to be all at once. You can break it up into shorter times of movement for a total of 30 minutes, most days. Stretching your body before you begin and end your day does wonders for your health and can help you decompress from the stress of the day.
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Plan outdoor activities for the weekends when possible like a walk or hike in a local park, check out your ice skating moves at Oly on Ice, or just wander downtown and window shop. Intending to increase your movement throughout the day and being aware of the times when you can park further away or take the stairs will all add up to increased activity until the sun returns, making it easier to get outside for longer periods of time. |
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What is a HEPA filter?
HEPA filters are used in household products like portable air filters and vacuums. HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air and HEPA filters can remove about 99.97% of any airborne particles that are 0.3 microns from the air. 0.3 microns is incredibly tiny! How tiny? Well, a human hair is about 75 microns thick. So, filtering out particles that are 0.3 microns is quite amazing.
It filters out particles like dust, pollen, mold, bacteria. These filters trap even more of the larger particles. When you’re choosing a portable air filter for your home, a simple HEPA filter is a great choice. Some products labeled as air purifiers or air cleaners can put ozone into the air. Ozone is a lung irritant and not necessary for a portable air filter. When you’re choosing an air filter, look for one that has HEPA filtration and says it doesn’t generate ozone.
There are lots of vacuums on the market to choose from. Prioritize a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Vacuums blow exhaust air out while trapping the debris inside. The filter helps make the exhausted air cleaner. In a nutshell, a vacuum with a HEPA filter will do a better job of keeping your indoor air and home clean than a vacuum with another kind of filter.
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Connect to Farmers
Olympia Farmers Market
Saturdays January-March
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
700 Capitol Way N
Olympia, WA 98501
(360) 352-9096
The Farmer's Basket is an online resource designed to connect people seeking local, farm-fresh food with the wealth of our local farmers.
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Community Events
With many local events moving online because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, check these great local calendars for up-to-date information about what's coming up.
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